Project Timeline
We hope to be moving in to our new homes in Wolf Creek Commons in 2009.
For updates about where we are in the process, please Contact
Us.
Site Location & Characteristics
Grass Valley, California is located
about 60 miles from the state capital, Sacramento. The community
is in the Sierra Nevada foothills, surrounded
by abundant opportunities for outdoor recreation. Here's today's
weather. The
schools are great, and art and culture are alive and thriving here. The
Wolf Creek Commons site is at the south end of Grass Valley. Though
close to a highway, it is remarkably quiet because of the buffering effect
of existing development and trees adjacent to the highway, and the fact
that it slopes downward from the road.
The entire project is officially called “Wolf Creek Village” and consists of Wolf Creek Commons intergenerational cohousing and Wolf Creek Lodge active adult cohousing. In addition, there will be 8 single family home sites to be sold to people not involved in the cohousing community.
Many cohousing communities occupy 3 acres or less. The Wolf Creek site is 7.89 acres. Of that, 3.6 acres, 43% of the total site, is to remain dedicated open space along Wolf Creek.
It’s (almost) all about the slope!
Everything about the design of Wolf Creek Commons is determined by the natural attributes and slope of the site. It is covered with native oaks, ponderosa pines, and other vegetation, and slopes significantly from Freeman Lane down to Wolf Creek. Architect Charles Durrett says that Wolf Creek Commons will in some ways resemble a hillside Italian village. The flatter areas of the site will be devoted to play areas and other gathering places.
Although a number of trees will need to come down, the majority of trees on the parcel will be kept. Trees will be removed if they are in building footprints or could fall on completed buildings. Experienced professionals have made these determinations carefully, knowing that we want to preserve as many trees as possible.
Stewardship
Members of the Wolf Creek Commons community look forward to being active on-site stewards of the land and Wolf Creek. We are in communication with the Nevada County Land Trust and Wolf Creek Community Alliance so that we can collaborate in all endeavors to maintain and improve the vitality of the land and the creek.
We are set back over 200 feet from the creek with open space in between, and there are discussions to plan a trail that will give access to the creek and eventually to a trail that the Nevada County Land Trust plans to build from the site to the historic downtown, about 1 mile away, so we could walk or bike to downtown on a very scenic trail.
In an effort to be conscious of where we are in the Wolf Creek Watershed, we have made a map showing that we are not too far from the headwaters of the watershed. (See map, it is a 2.5 Mb PDF, so you need Adobe Acrobat to open it, which you can download for free)
back to top
Design History
While new input and ideas are valued, those who become members of the community from now on are requested to honor and respect the enormous amount of time, care, and expertise that have already been invested in design, architecture, and decision-making. Design elements that might seem questionable turn out to make perfect sense when considered in relation to the geography of the site.
Major decisions were made by the group at a series of Programming Workshops
held in 2006. The Programming Workshops articulate what the community
wants to achieve in the final design. Some modifications may be
made over time to accommodate requests from the City of Grass Valley
and changes in construction costs.
back to top
Wolf Creek Commons Community Features
Design elements of cohousing
Cohousing architecture supports a healthy mix of privacy and community participation. Buildings face generally toward the center of the physical site. Cars, parking spaces, and garages are placed at the periphery of the site. As one enters a cohousing unit, there is a gradual transition from community pathway to personal front porch to personal home interior. Different communities develop fun “codes” for indicating whether a household wants privacy or welcomes visitors at any particular time. These codes include such things as position of a window covering or orientation of a sign or ornament on the front door.
Common House
The Common House is the very heart of a cohousing community. It provides a place for community events such as frequent common dinners – attendance optional – and numerous other organized and spontaneous activities. In addition to a community kitchen and dining area, a Common House may include rooms for kids, teens, media, library, arts and crafts, recreation, overnight guests, and laundry. Private homes may also have laundry facilities.
 click to download
.pdf of floorplan*
Landscaping
Landscaping plays a key role in facilitating pedestrian movement, providing gathering places for playing, gardening, and gabbing, and enhancing the overall look and feel of the community. It is important that landscaping be appropriate to the region and the site.
click to download
.pdf of landscape plan*
Water Feature
Though many cohousing communities enjoy a swimming pool, the Wolf Creek Commons site is too steep to accommodate one. As an alternative, community members are considering the possibility of a water feature to provide an inviting place to gather and enjoy the ambience of a waterfall, small stream, fountain, or some such.
Sustainability
Sustainability means different things to different people. Dictionary
definitions may only hint at some of the common social, political, ecological,
and other uses of the word. That said, it’s probably essentially
accurate to say that among many cohousers, the idea of sustainability
has to do in part with building and functioning in ways that use resources
wisely and responsibly. This includes natural resources – on
the site, in the choices of building materials, power technologies, and
so on – and human resources such as time, energy, creativity, and
enthusiasm. Wolf Creek Commons will incorporate as many positive
definitions and features of sustainability into the community as we can. Click
here for
some sustainability specifics.
We are also adjacent to Wolf Creek, the same creek that runs through the historic downtown of Grass Valley. See above section on stewardship.
back to top
Wolf Creek Commons Private Homes
Cohousing units are private, fully-equipped (yes, each has its own kitchen!) green-built, clustered dwellings. Although the Common House will include laundry facilities, individuals may choose to have them in their private homes as well.
There are several pre-determined floor plans, but individual households can customize interior finishing touches such as flooring, lighting, paint colors, counter tops, and more.
Number and type of units
There will be 32 private home units in a total of 7 buildings. Unit sizes range from approximately 880 to 1550 square feet, and from 2 bedroom/1 bath to 4 bedroom/2.5 bath.
click to download
.pdf of site map*
Unit floor plans & square footages
Click the unit type below to open .pdf of each unit
floorplan:
Unit floorplans:
- Unit A1* (2 bedroom w/optional garage attached)
- Unit A2* (2 bedroom affordable, upstairs flat)
- Unit B* (2 bedroom most accessible, ground floor flat)
- Unit C* (3 bedroom, upstairs flat)
- Unit D* (3 bedroom, two story townhouse)
- Unit E* (4 bedroom, two story townhouse)
- Unit F
*
(2 bedroom, two story townhouse)
*Having troubles opening linked files? You need Adobe Acrobat to view floor plans, pricing & site plan, download it for free, if you don't have it. If you would like us to send you any information directly, please contact us and we will be happy to email them to you.
Pricing
Here are the current price estimates for each unit type and comparison description of each. These
prices are subject to change.
Unit Pricing Estimates*.
This region, like much of California, has a fairly high cost of living – including real estate prices. Four key factors affect the cost of cohousing.
-
Common Facilities The cost of each unit contains a share of the cost of all the community amenities such as the Common House and Landscaping.
-
Green Design & Construction Cohousing communities tend to make decisions about materials and their sources based upon the desires to support local or regional businesses, responsible environmental practices, and so on. Green building does not yet mean cheaper building in the short run, but it does pay off in the long run.
-
Scale Larger developments of, say, 100 or more homes at a time, have economies of scale that cannot be realized by a cluster one-third the size. In addition, though a smaller, more intimate neighborhood costs a bit more to construct, it also creates greater value in terms of quality of life because it enables neighbors to really know one another. So rather than the anonymity of most larger scale tract home developments, cohousing projects engender a strong sense of community.
-
Higher base quality of home features The quality of standard home features such as flooring, plumbing fixtures, and heating systems, starts at a higher level than most mainstream developments.
Availability
The membership committee maintains this information and should be consulted
for up-to-date availability status. Contact Us
Affordability
The City of Grass Valley is in the midst of revising the criteria that determine what income parameters will make an individual or household eligible for an affordable unit. When the City has made its decision, households will have to pre-qualify for mortgages. The City’s policy will almost certainly give strong preference to people who already live and work locally.
Affordable units are sold at below-market rate and are deed-restricted, meaning they would need to be resold at below-market rate also. The new City of Grass Valley policy will determine how many WCC units are designated as affordable units.
People who wish to know more about this option may Contact Us. Please put “Question About Affordable Units” in the subject line. You can also visit the City of Grass Valley web site then go to the Community Development Department page. The program application also has a very good description of the affordable & first time homebuyers program.
Garages
Garages are an option that can be purchased separately.
back to top
Financial and Legal Structure of Project
In addition to the committees that accomplish the business of the Wolf Creek Commons community, a trio of Limited Liability Companies, or LLCs, is in place to enable the legal and financial aspects of the project. One of the existing LLCs will become the Home Owners Association when we move in.
back to top
Please Contact Us with any questions or comments. |
